Page 7 of Nailing Heat
“Tell us everything. I brought wine!” Mac holds up a bottle of our favorite sweet red and heads for the kitchen to uncork it, her blonde hair flowing down her back like a river of gold as she walks away.
“Do you want me to call August and tell him that he can’t do this to you? I’d love a reason to knock his lights out,” Hendrix reminds me, her eyes flashing with anger. I can’t tell if her emption is coming from loyalty to me, or from the joy she gets from antagonizing the owner of our team. Failed old relationship from college or not, he’s not her biggest fan either.
“No, we don’t need you to be getting your butt fired,” I remind her. “Although, that might open up your apartment,” I tease.
She laughs and reaches for one of the glasses of wine that Mac is busy handing out, as we all stand around Hendrix’s island. Her kitchen is so bare of not only decorations but appliances. She really has embraced a minimalist look, where nothing that she doesn’t need isn’t readily available on a counter. It’s what makes this kitchen such a great place to gather. Plenty of space for all our snacks and glasses, unlike the rest of our kitchens.
“Thanks,” I tell her, taking the glass of wine from Mac. We clink our glasses. As I take my first sip, I look around at the girls who have become my closest friends over the last few months. I honestly don’t know what I would do without them.
I wasn’t this girl when I was in high school, or even in college. Sure, I had a close friend here or there, but never a group like this. Hendrix and I spend a lot of time together, ever since Mac began dating Danny and Cassie is with Jase. Our nights in are great; her and me with some guac and Netflix. I’m grateful that Mac and Cassie still make time to come around and hang out with us. On nights like tonight, I’m reminded how blessed I am to have found this little family of mine. Especially since my actual family doesn’t come around to see me much. I hail from North Carolina, and you would think that they would come out and see me since it’s only a nine-hour drive. Not a flight across the country like it is for Mac and Cas. But my parents are usually at home with my brother, who is busy playing what my dad calls “the right kind of football.”
“What’s he like? Is it bad?” Mac asks, leaning in intently, when we make our way into Hendrix’s living room and claim our normal spots.
“It’s not that it’s bad. It’s so annoying. I’ve waited how long to have my own space and now I have to share it with a boy after just a few short months of freedom.” I feel like an ass for complaining because my place is bigger than theirs, but I don’t want a roommate, especially a male one. “He said that my kitchen doesn’t make sense and about how we’re doing food sharing. Like how the fuck should I know? I’m getting used to living with someone who has the same name as famous serial killer —”
“Fictional serial killer,” Cas reminds me, cutting me off.
“Whatever,” I say, waving her off. “But his bass literally vibrates my wall.” It’s a thin argument, but it’s still reason to hate him, I tell myself.
“Oh, Amelia,” Mac pulls me into a side hug, kissing the top ofmy head as she gets up to grab the bottle from the kitchen. “Give him a chance or don’t, if that’s what you decide to do. But remember you can always stay at my place.”
“Thanks,” I call after her.
“Why is he here in a hurry anyways?” Cassie asks me.
I sigh. “Oh yeah, I asked him about that and apparently it’s because he got a divorce. His ex-wife is back in New England with their dog.”
“That sucks,” Hendrix replies. “It’s hard enough uprooting your life but losing someone that you promised til death do you part has to hurt even worse.”
I take a swig of my wine and consider what she said. “Yeah, you’re right about that. I’m sure it does. But he chose to do this.”
“But he didn’t choose to have to live at your place. That was all that dickhead, August.” Hendrix reminds all of us.
I laugh and throw a soccer ball pillow at her. “Fuck off, whose side are you on anyways?”
“Yours, my love, always yours.” She winks at me.
I lean back into my chair. “Ugh, this sucks all the way around. I hadfivebrothers growing up. I have had boys in space all my life. I just want some place that is all girly and all mine.”
“Well, he’s temporary so I’m sure he won’t try and redecorate the place,” Cas reassures me. “Jase has a million rooms in his house. Do you want me to see if he’ll let Dexter bunk with him?”
I stare at the ground and shake my head. “No, I don’t want to inconvenience Jase or you.”
“He probably wouldn’t even notice he was there. And besides, this way Dexter is living with another guy and not you. You haveyourspace back. Jase is so easygoing, he’ll understand.”
I shake my head. “I can’t ask him to do that. I’m probably being a little dramatic about it, right?” I stare at them, hoping they’ll give me the good common sense that I’m lacking.
Hendrix tells me, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. You have to give it a chance. Right now, you’re grieving the loss of your space. Just takea deep breath, sit with your emotions and then decide how you feel.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Mac leans forward and places her elbows on her knees, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“I was a psych major,” she says with a shrug.
We all share a laugh at her matter-of-fact answer. Everyone on the team graduated college, but the whole point of being there was to be able to play college soccer at the Division I level so we could end up here, in the National Women’s Soccer League. None of us figured that it would be for the newest NWSL team that was started by a billionaire who also owned other sports teams, including a baseball team and an NBA team. But here we are.
“Hen is right, though,” Mac tells me. “Just relax and give it a chance. He needs somewhere to stay, and you have the ability to help someone. Don’t cast him out just yet.”
“Agree,” Cassie says, holding her wine glass up like she’s about to toast us all. “Come on, fuckers, clink,” she says with a laugh.
